The prior art contains a host of valves used to compensate for temperature differentials which occur when using a shower facility. Some of these valves rely on thermostatic devices which are connected to actuating members within a valve and, for example, close down or reduce the opening of the hot water inlet of the valve thus reducing the risk of the user being scalded. Further, the prior art contains pressure compensating valves for use in shower facilities which respond to a pressure differential thereby reducing, for example, the volume of hot water passing through the outlet of the valve and reducing the risk of the user being scalded. The present invention in a preferred embodiment thereof relates to a unique pressure balancing valve which has application within a shower facility.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,121 and the corresponding Canadian patent, No. 1,186,971, assigned to Stanadyne Incorporated, describes a cycle valve for mixing hot and cold water including a sleeve having axially spaced and radially non-aligned hot and cold water inlets, the outlets in the sleeve being intermediate the afore-mentioned inlets. The valve further incorporates within the sleeve a non-reciprocal valve member to control the mixture of hot and cold water at the sleeve outlet. The valve member incorporates a hollow stem having water inlet and outlet ports wherein a purported seal is reciprocally moveable in relation to a pressure balancing spool disposed within the stem, said spool for balancing the pressures between the hot and cold water flows. The afore-mentioned structure does not describe a truly sealless structure wherein the seals may be corroded by the action of the hot water and/or scale and sediment during the flow of hot water. Further the afore-mentioned patents do not describe a cartridge-type valve mounted within a housing incorporating diverting means to allow for ease of installation and maintenance of the valve by the installer or householder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,755, by Symmons, describes a non-scald mixing valve incorporating a similar pressure balancing spool as described in the afore-mentioned references incorporating therein a diverter member having two radially aligned bores in communication with the outlet passageway. The diverter valve comprises an internal valve casing that is formed integral with and in part consists of the outer wall of the valve body and the internal partitions therein. This is best observed in relation to FIG. 2. However the valve presented is not a cartridge valve and the diverting means contained therein is merely for diverting the outlet from one path to another. Further the patent does not describe diverting means disposed proximate the inlet of the valve within the housing for the valve, said housing containing an opening in communication with the inlet ports, wherein a cartridge is disposed, said cartridge being removable and replaceable. The afore-mentioned patent further does not allow for the installer to readily rectify an error in connecting the hot and cold water supplies to the valve, or allow for ease of maintenance thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,099, by Grohe of Germany, describes a mixing valve unit which can be inserted into the housing of a hot and cold water mixing faucet which is operated by a thermostat to vary the relative amounts of hot and cold water in accordance with the temperature of the mixed water. The unit can be removed and replaced through an opening in the housing. However the afore-mentioned structure does not incorporate an integrated modular valve but merely provides a removable sub-assembly separate from the actuating mechanism of the valve and incorporating only the thermostatically controlled balancing portions of the valve.
U.S Pat. No. 4,417,602 describes a valve incorporating a sleeve having a water inlet and a water outlet. The valve includes a stem moveable within the sleeve to control the flow of water from the inlet to the outlet. A pressure member is positioned within the sleeve wherein a fixed seal is positioned between the stem and the pressure member, and further a second seal is disposed, but in the stem in engagement with the sleeve. Further, at column 2, line 22, the valve construction is embodied as a cartridge wherein all of the components are assembled into a single unit which may be quickly and simply replaced if the valve should leak. However the afore-mentioned reference does not incorporate diverting means which further allows for ease of installation or maintenance of the valve should the installer incorrectly install the hot and cold water inlets to the valve. Further, the afore-mentioned reference incorporates grommets which will deteriorate when the flow of water, and specifically hot water, acts upon the grommet carrying sludge and scale from the water tank and lines. Such action will result in the deterioration of the grommet unlike that found in the seal arrangement of the instant invention.
Canadian Patent No. 1,014,449, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,016, describes a water mixing valve with a temperature indicator. Specifically referring to FIG. 2 of the afore-mentioned reference, the construction of the invention described therein may be observed, incorporating pressure equalizing valve 86 which is slidably disposed within the main valve assembly. The operation of the valve and the pressure balancing aspects thereof are described at page 8 of the afore-mentioned reference which describes thereat further references on pages 7 and 8, such description being consistent with the teachings of the authors of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,308,127, 3,099,996 and 3,448,755 previously described, acknowledging the fact that mere pressure balancing found within the valve is not new within the prior art. It is the unique combinations in the afore-mentioned patents described above which distinguish the structures beyond the prior art of record, thus allowing for patentability.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,037 describes a valve containing concentric sleeves wherein the ports therein align to allow the passage of fluid therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,377 describes a tubular valve for the controlling of fluids incorporating an outer tubular shell, having therein deformable grommets enclosed within a sealing space between the outer shell and the inner tube providing lateral tubular extensions projecting through the outer ports.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,343 describes a single lever faucet assembly having a faucet control lever which is reversibly mountable on either side of the faucet spout without having to switch positions of the hot and cold water supplies lines thereto. The faucet further includes a valve cartridge which is easily disconnected from the faucet control lever for replacement. However the afore-mentioned reference does not teach the incorporation of the actuation or control lever in combination with the cartridge being replaceable as an integrated unit. Further the afore-mentioned reference does not include a housing containing inlet means for the hot and cold water and further containing therein diverting means for allowing the ease of installation of the housing and the easy replacement of the cartridge by an installer or householder.
Canadian Patent No. 1,104,548 describes a seal member which is moveable within a sleeve to rotate the seal member out of line of flow of the water supply during operation of the valve yet moving it back into registration of the water discharge port 38 when the water is shut off. However such an arrangement is not found to describe a pressure balancing integrated cartridge system as does the instant invention.
Further examples of sealing members positioned on a sleeve out of the path of flow through the stem outlet port are found within U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,018 and Canadian Patent No. 1,151,629. These references are sighted for information purposes only.
Nowhere within the prior art is found an integrated modular valve assembly which incorporates diverting means within a housing for a valve, said diverting means for communication with the inlet means disposed within the housing of the valve, said diverting means being moveable to allow for registration of a variable number of inlet ports to allow flow of water to a mixing cartridge assembly disposed within the valve housing.
Further, nowhere in the prior art is there found such a structure as described above further containing a pressure balancing spool disposed within the cartridge, said cartridge being easily removed from said housing and containing therein all of the working portions of the valve including the actuating or control lever, the pressure balancing spool if used, and the remaining portions allowing the registration of the inlet ports with a outlet mixing chamber disposed within the housing. It is not absolutely critical that the housing contain a mixing chamber but it is preferred.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an easily installed valve assembly which is easy to maintain by the householder without the need of contracting specialized installers.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a modular valve assembly which incorporates components which are integrated and perform all of the operating functions of the valve, found within a replaceable cartridge contained therein.
It is a further object of the invention to provide diverting means use with a valve assembly which allow for ease of installation and maintenance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a safe valve assembly for use in shower installations reducing the risk of scalding the user.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an integrated valve assembly which may be installed in either a vertical or horizontal plane which still functions with all the attributes of the valve in either plane with the exception of the balancing spool.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to a man skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.